WWE Power Rankings 4/14/2014: Post-WrestleMania XXX Edition

What an emotional ride the past week has been for pro wrestling fans. After a fantastic WrestleMania XXX, WWE started their year anew with a solid Raw that featured Ultimate Warrior for the first (and sadly the last) time since the 1990s. In less than 24 hours, he had passed away.

Ultimate Warrior fans can only be grateful they got to see him one last time in the squared circle before he departed this world. Tonight's WWE Raw will be dedicated to him. In keeping with that theme, the Watch List will feature Warrior's final promo on Raw, and these rankings are dedicated to him.

But while Warrior's passing has fallen like a fog over the wrestling world, it was actually a very eventful week. More on that in the following slides.

Before we get into the rankings, here's how they work.

Holding a championship, being No. 1 contender or holding a Money in the Bank briefcase counts for much of a wrestler's ranking. If a wrestler is tied with another wrestler, any of the listed scenarios will break the tie.

Wins and losses account for much of the week-to-week movement. "Getting the better" of someone—like beating someone down—as well as "getting got" counts as well, though not as much as wins and losses. Being "over" with the fans is considered but not heavily weighted in the ranking decisions. Pay-per-view performance takes on added importance.

Only the top 10 wrestlers are ranked. Wrestlers on the "Watch List" were considered for top-10 status but were ultimately nixed. They too are unranked, and their listing is in no particular order.

Generally speaking, these rankings do not break kayfabe, though any major non-storyline information (serious injury, WWE Wellness Policy violations, legitimate hirings, firings, contract information, "sabbaticals," etc.) may be taken into consideration. No spoilers are included unless WWE acknowledges them.

All WWE shows, televised or digitally distributed, as well as anything from WWE.com, the WWE App, the WWE Network and any WWE or Superstar social media accounts that don't break kayfabe may be taken into consideration.

Watch List

Sheamus was red hot between the Royal Rumble and the lead-in to WrestleMania XXX but has cooled off in the past few weeks. And in his only appearance this week, he teamed with John Cena and Big E in a loss to the Wyatts.

That hurts, because now Sheamus' momentum is gone and he's lost consistently to top talent over the past few weeks. He drops from the top 10 but could climb back in with a win over a ranked opponent.

Batista

Based on what we're seeing from Batista's conversations with Triple H, he may be getting another crack at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship sooner rather than later.

In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to think we could see a rematch of the WrestleMania XXX Triple Threat match. He teamed with Randy Orton twice this week in tag team action, and both matches ended in no-contests (as best I can tell). But he and Orton did get some licks in on Daniel Bryan and the Usos over the week.

Now he'll have to contend with The Shield, who has foiled him and Orton all week. Can he actually get a win this week?

No. 10: Randy Orton

Randy Orton came out of WrestleMania XXX fuming mad and ready to get a rematch. Triple H was having none of that, and Orton was given tag team duty with Batista. His tag matches on Raw and SmackDown both ended in apparent no-contests, but he did make his presence felt with some nasty beatings on Daniel Bryan and the Usos.

At least until The Shield showed up. Now, Orton may have to get through his former allies en route to his rematch with Bryan. Will he get a one-on-one rematch, and when?

No. 9: Paige

Wow. If there was one in-ring shocker this week, this is it. For those of you unfamiliar with NXT, Paige is a self-described "anti-Diva." She's also the first-ever and reigning NXT Women's Champion. She's held that title for 298 days (as of April 14, 2014).

Now, after defeating AJ Lee in a shockingly fast impromptu Divas Championship match on Raw, Paige now holds both the NXT Women's Championship and the WWE Divas Championship. It's not common for a wrestler to hold two titles at once, and when it happens, one of those titles is typically a tag team title.

Paige now has the difficult task of proving her win over AJ was no fluke. Can she remain a dual champion?

No. 8: Cesaro

Cesaro has everything he needs to be a big star in WWE. Not long ago, he competed inside the Elimination Chamber for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. We all know how that turned out.

But after an impressive win in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, he may well have put himself over the top. After ditching Zeb Colter and The Real Americans, he announced he was now a "Paul Heyman guy." He then defeated Jack Swagger via count-out after Swagger and Colter balked on their Raw match.

Then on SmackDown, he defeated Big Show via interference from Swagger and then promptly hit a Neutralizer on the 450-pound Big Show. The King of Swing could be poised to make a push up the rankings and into contention for a title.

No. 7: The Usos

The Usos got roughed up this week but came out the better for it, mostly due to the movement of others in the rankings. On Raw, they faced Batista and Randy Orton in a match that saw them beaten down outside the ring. The match ended in a double count-out.

Then on SmackDown, they teamed with Daniel Bryan against Randy Orton, Batista and Kane. This time, the match was called off as it broke down. The Usos were being brutalized when The Shield came to their aid.

No. 5: The Wyatts

The Wyatts had a mixed week coming off WrestleMania XXX. They got back to their dominant ways this past Monday when they defeated Big E, John Cena and Sheamus in six-man tag team action. An impressive win over three ranked opponents.

But Main Event was not so kind. They faced off against a reinvigorated Shield and lost. Eric Rowan took the pin to Dean Ambrose. On SmackDown, they responded to John Cena. Now that it appears Cena will remain the target of the Wyatts' wrath, can they rise to the occasion and defeat Cena?

No. 4: John Cena

John Cena defended his legacy at WrestleMania XXX, but he was still unable to shake The Wyatt Family this past week. He teamed with Big E and Sheamus—a formidable team on paper—in a loss to the Wyatts.

On SmackDown, he traded promos with the Wyatts. It appears he'll have to face down Bray again at some point. Can Cena keep his cool and stay the course, or will he lose sight of what he believes in and fall to Bray Wyatt's schemes?

No. 2: The Shield

The Shield had a busy week. On Raw, they confronted Batista, Randy Orton, Triple H and Kane, as Triple H was trying to take the title off Bryan in a match he had made. Kane saved Triple H from a beatdown at the hands of The Shield.

Then on Main Event, the Hounds of Justice earned a hard-fought win over the Wyatts when Dean Ambrose pinned Erick Rowan.

Finally, on SmackDown they came to the aid of Daniel Bryan and the Usos, driving off Kane, Batista and Randy Orton. They are at war with The Authority right now and have vowed to fire the final shot in that war. Will they get another shot at The Authority this week?

No. 1: Daniel Bryan

Coming off his well-earned WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Daniel Bryan faced yet more adversity on Raw. Not even getting a day to celebrate, he was forced into a match against Triple H for his newly won title.

And before that match, he was assaulted by Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton. With the aid of The Shield, Bryan fended off the attack, the match was called off and Bryan stood triumphant.

Then on SmackDown, the scene was much the same. He teamed with the Usos against Batista, Orton and Kane. When the match broke down and Bryan was taking a beating, The Shield again came to his aid. After a brawl, Orton and Batista were driven back, and Daniel Bryan nailed Kane with his running knee.

Where will Bryan go from here? Who will emerge as the challenger to his title? There are many possible opponents, so Bryan had better keep both eyes open at all times.